President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of Federal Government systems following reports of ghost workers, “fake agencies” and other control failures.
Gatekeepers News reports that the audit will cover the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, Federal Government agencies and their administrative and internal control systems.
The President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, would oversee and coordinate the exercise.
The directive followed a resolution of the Federal Executive Council on August 19, 2026, in response to findings by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission concerning “fake agencies”, ghost workers and other weaknesses in government controls.
Onanuga said the exercise would determine the nature and extent of weaknesses in government control systems and establish how such weaknesses had been exploited.
“The exercise will establish the nature and extent of weaknesses in the government’s control system and determine how such weaknesses have been exploited. The review will comprise two interconnected components,” the statement read.
The first component will focus on a forensic audit of government systems, particularly IPPIS and related payroll, personnel, pension and financial management platforms.
According to the statement, the review will examine reported cases of ghost workers and payroll fraud, reconcile figures identified by the ICPC, trace how fictitious or ineligible persons were enrolled and assess access, identity, biometric and bank-account controls.
“The exercise will also examine the interfaces between IPPIS and other government platforms, including GIFMIS, Remita, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Sub-TSA, to determine whether fraud resulted from system defects, process failures, inadequate segregation of duties or deliberate circumvention,” it said.
Audit of government agencies
The second component will cover all Federal Government agencies, departments, commissions, councils, parastatals and other government bodies.
The exercise will establish a definitive inventory of such entities and verify their legal basis, while examining how they obtain official recognition, budgetary consideration, correspondence privileges, office facilities and access to government systems.
Onanuga said the audit would also assess governance, procurement, internal audit and oversight mechanisms across government.
“The exercise will assess governance, procurement, internal audit, and oversight controls across Government to close systemic weaknesses that could allow irregular entities or persons to access public resources,” he said.
Tinubu directed that the exercise be conducted with the highest standards of independence, professionalism and forensic integrity.
The audit team will have access to relevant government systems and records and will collaborate with the ICPC to ensure that the review complements ongoing investigations, prosecutions and recoveries.
Onanuga said the President expected the exercise to go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failure.
“President Tinubu expects the exercise to go beyond identifying individual cases of fraud or administrative failure by strengthening the architecture of Government, closing systemic loopholes, improving data verification and reconciliation, reinforcing accountability, and ensuring that only duly constituted entities and eligible personnel have access to Government resources,” he said.
He added that the exercise underscored Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability, fiscal governance and institutional integrity across the Federal Government.
